In Honor Of The Cake Boss Coming To Town, Tips To Making Your Box Cake Taste Fantastic!

I wish baking could be a hobby of mine, but as it goes I would be as big as a house if I baked cakes all day. When I was in grade school I was in a cake baking class I learned how to make homemade icing, etc. The cakes I made were great and they were box cakes too! You know when sometimes you make a box cake it can taste a little, umm rubbery and bland??? Well, maybe you don't have that problem but I for sure do.

Here are some tips if found on livestrong.com to making a box cake taste like it was homemade!

1. Instead of using oil substitute it for unsalted, melted butter

2. While your at the store getting the box cake, pick up a package of pudding this will be added as you are mixing the ingredients. Make sure that you add an additional amount of butter or oil by 1/2 cup and an extra egg.

3. Instead of adding water to the cake mix like it calls for, try adding a different liquid. Depending on the type of cake you are making and yes, this comes with a lot of experimenting. If you have kids they are the best testers in the world...Ideas I found for different liquids are coffee liqueur with a chocolate cake and coconut milk with a yellow cake. Cut the box cake instructions in half with the water. Example: 2 cups of water, you will only do 1 cup of whatever liquid you will use.

4. After the cake mix is prepared, is where the fun begins! Add a special ingredient to the cake like package of chocolate chips to a chocolate cake for the extra burst of flavor. This could honestly go on forever, sliced dried apricots, nuts, the list could go on and on use your imagination! Remember kids are your best testers!

5. Do not use the canned frosting! Make your own! There are a lot of recipes out there for you to make your own frosting and get crazy with it! :) Click here for one of the recipes I found for homemade bakery frosting.

Warning: If you do all of these steps in the same cake, the cake could be too rich. You will want to do just a few of these steps on separate cakes.

The pudding will make the cake more stable.

Try it out and let me know how they turned out! I could even be your tester if you would like ;)

Man, I'm hungry for cake now!!!!! Looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend!

Don't forget the Cake Boss will be in Evansville August 5th at the Victory Theatre, and tickets are still on sale to see him and get his professional ideas for baking cakes! I'm just an amateur :)